Prepayment meter



Nov, 24, 1931.

WITNESSES jam/M19 w 5. J. SCHVVEGLER PREPAYMENT METER Filed Jan.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2-

INVENTQR 24, 1931. 5 j SCHWEGLER 1,833,724

PREPAYMENT METER Filed Jan. 10. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3fl/l/ll/ll/llligwll v mmgmfmwgll WlTNESSES INVENTOR fl ToRNEx PatentedNov. 24, 1931 PATENT OFFICE SIEGFRIED J. SCHWEGLER, OF BUFFALO, INEVV'YORK PREPAYMENT METER Application filed January 10, 1930. Serial No.419,784.

This invention relates to a meter for the operation of any electricallyoperated instrument such as a player piano, a Victrola, or like musicalor other instrument which is 6 automatically started by said meter uponthe depositing of a coin and automatically stopped upon the completionof the music or product paid for.

One method of operating a musical instrument upon prepayment is to placesaid instrument in a central room and arrange for the sound of theinstrument to be conveyed to several different booths by ear phones.Each booth has means for receiving a coin. The

depositing of a coin in said receiver in any one of the booths completesan electric circuit and starts the instrument which plays a tune andthen stops. Another coin has then to be deposited to play the same oranother tune as arranged on said instrument. By this arrangement a coindeposited in each booth at the same time provides for the playing ofonly one tune, or two or more coins deposited at the same time in onebooth will cause only one tune to be played. Or where separateinstruments are connected to separate booths the above method onlyprovides for the depositing of a coin each time a. tune is desired.

One object of the present invention is to provide a meter in which anelectric circuit is completed upon prepayment by the depositing of acoin, said completed electric circuit starting a player or otherelectrically operated machine, and said electric circuit broken when theplayer has completed the prepaid music.

Another object is to furnish a meter which provides for the storing ofmeans for automatically playing one record after another or repeatingthe same tune to the amount of the number of coins deposited at one timeand the limit for said storage means.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in certain featuresof novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects which will hereinafterappear are attained, the invention being more par- 50 ticularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my imiproved meter having a glass frontand showing the balls in their runways and a portion of them as storedafter prepayment for the automatic playing of one tune after another.

Fig. 2 is a back elevation of the meter shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of said meter partly in section on line 3-3of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 5 and also of Fig. 1 with a ballin position to complete an electric circuit.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is the same section as Fig. 5 but with the operating mechanism,or escapement, in a position to break the electric circuit and dischargethe ball.

In the form of my invention illustrated, A is the complete meter. 1 is apanel shown as made of wood but can be of a stamping or any desiredmaterial so that the insulating and conducting parts are in properrelation to each other. 2 is a glass front for said panel 1 and fastenedthereto by means of screws 3. 4 is a vertical runway for a column ofballs 5. 6 is a lower horizontally inclined runway for holding a row ofballs 7 which are fed one at a time up into the lower end of verticalrunway 4 by the operation of the meter, while 8 is an upper horizontallyinclined runway to receive the balls fed or discharged one at a timefrom the upper end of said vertical runway 4. 9 represents a ball in anopening in a slide 10 where it makes contact with a carbon or otherelectrical conductor 11 on one side and a conductor lever 12 on theopposite side (Fig. 4). Lever 12 is pivoted on a pin 13 and its endopposite the ball 9 makes contact with a carbon or other electricalconductor 14 on an inclined surface or cam 15. Lever 12 has an inclinedsurface as shown to wedge the ball 9 against the conductor 11 to makeand hold a perfect contact as it has been found that this method issuperior to resting a ball between two surfaces where its weight alonemakes contact between them. This latter method causes is returned to theposition in Fig. 5 under the influence of spring 19 on a stud 20 whichpasses through block 16 and is fastened into.

said slide 1 21 and 22 are binding posts connecting the carbons 11 and14 into the electric circuit having wires 23 and 24 which are connectedto the music player (not shown). 25 represents a battery or other powersource to furnish. electricity to the circuit 2324.

26 is a plate fastened on the back of panel 1 to help hold the block 16in the panel 1 and to close the guideway 18 on the back while the glassplate 2 closes it on the front. 27 is an opening in plate 26 to allowfor the movement of the binding post 21 which travels with the slide 10.

Dotted lever 28 represents a means of connection between the musicplayer (not shown) and the meter A whereby the player upon the movementof said lever 28 in the direction of arrow 29 will operate slide 10 tobreak electric connection in circuit 2324 and stop said player.

30 is a shelf fastened to the bottom of panel 1 to support a solenoid 31which is operated by the electric circuit 3233 when a coin is dropped ina slot. The coin passing through a chute in the ordinary mannercompletes the circuit 3233 and the current from battery 34 or othersource of electric current operates the solenoid 31 to raise the shaft35 and with said shaft the angle plate 36. 37 and 38 are rods fastenedto shelf 30 and pass through holes in angle plate 36 to guide said angleplate in its up and down movement. 39 is a spring to retract the angleplate 36 and shaft 35 against the stop 40 which is adapted foradjustment on rod 38.

41 is a plunger to raise the lower ball 7 in runway 6 up into runway 4where it is held between the point 42 on plate 43 and the upper side ofthe stop 44. The stop 44 is held in normal position as shown by a flatspring 45 which allows said stop 44 to be retracted for the passing of aball. Fastened into plunger 41 is a cap screw 46 which rests on angleplate 36 and'having a distance piece 47 to limit the upward movement ofsaid plunger 41. Cap screw 46 can be adjusted into or out of plunger 41to vary the movement of plunger 41.

At the upper end ofrunway 4 is located a fiat spring 48 for directingthe upper ball of the Vertical column of balls 5 into runway 8 and alsofor the purpose of preventing more than one ball entering said runway 8at a time. The sudden action of the column of balls 5 under the impulseof the solenoid 31 would throw more than one ball into runway 8 unlesschecked by the spring 48. A plate 49 with a hardened corner 50 isprovided to maintain the proper distance to the spring 48.

The operation of the meter is as follows:

A coin is dropped into a slot and falling through a chute (not shown)completes the electric circuit 3233 to the solenoid 31 which draws upits shaft 35 with its connected angle plate 36 to raise the plunger 41and the ball 7 resting on it. The upward movement of ball 7 retractsstop 44 and raises the column of balls 5 when the stop 44 returns tonormal position and holds the column of balls 5 as in Fig. 1. Thelifting of column of balls 5 forces the upper ball past the point 50 andthe spring 48 when said upper ball rolls down runway 8 until it stops inthe position of ball 9, Fig. 5, where it completes electric circuit23-24 and starts the musical instrument to which it is connected. Whenthe musical instrument has completed the tune or music paid for by thecoin deposited, said instrument moves the lever 28 in the direction ofarrow 29 and pushes the slide 10 to a position shown in Fig. 6 whencontact between conductor 14 and lever 12 has been broken and theinstrument stops while ball 9 drops into runway 6 to be used over again.The spring 19 retracts the slide 10 to position shown in Fig. 5 and isready to receive another ball and again start the instrument playing.

A single coin deposited will play a single tune but where it is desiredto have the instrument play more than one time Without further attentiona number of coins can be deposited at one time and an equal number ofballs 9 after the first ball 9 will be stored in runway 8 and the meterwill automatically start the instrument to play as many tunes as arepaid for.

It will be understood that various materials may be used in theconstruction of this meter to get the desired results and the balls maybe of any desired material, as steel, copper, etc. It will also beunderstood that this meter may be applied to any electrically operatedinstrument such as a player piano,

radio, victrola or other instrument to which it can be applied.

In place of the lever 28 for operating the slide 10 any electricaloperating device can be used.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In an escapement for making and breaking an electric circuit, a slidewith a ball opening therethrough, a fixed conductor on one side of saidopening, a pivoted lever conductor having an inclined surface forcontacting with a ball on the other side of said opening and holdingsaid ball against said stationary conductor, a cam, and a thirdconductor having an inclined surface for contacting with said leverconductor opposite its ball contacting end, means to return and holdsaid slide in its normal position for holding a ball to complete acircuit through said conductors and means to operate said slide to breakcontact between said pivoted lever and said third conductor anddischarge said ball by the operation of said lever on said cam.

2. A prepayment meter having upper and lower inclined runways and aconnecting vertical runway, balls forming a column in said verticalrunway, balls forming a row in said lower runway, a plunger to raise aball from said row into said column and discharge a ball into said upperrunway, a solenoid, connecting means between said plunger and saidsolenoid, circuit means including said solenoid adapted to be closed bya coin inserted into a chute to operate said solenoid and plungerwhereby as many balls are discharged into said upper runway as coins areinserted into said chute at a time, a second electric circuit connectedto an instrument, a slide in said second electric circuit, a cam,electric conductors in said slide to hold each of said balls at a timeto complete said second circuit and operate said instrument, meansoperated by said instrument to move said slide to break said circuit anddischarge its contained ball and means to operate said slide to returnit to its normal position to receive another ball.

3. In a prepayment meter, a runway for balls comprising a verticalsection, an upper inclined section, a lower inclined section, a row ofballs in said lower section, a column of balls in said vertical sectionand reaching to the top thereof, means to support said column of balls,coin controlled electric means for raising a ball from the lowersection. into the lower part of the vertical section whereby the topball in the vertical section is discharged into the upper inclinedsection, a slide for receiving the ball from the upper inclined section,means in the slide to contact with the discharged ball and complete anelectric circuit, means to reciprocate the slide and means to permit thecontacting or supporting means to release the ball so it can fall intothe lower inclined section and open said electric circuit.

4;. In a prepayment meter employing a number of balls in connectedrunways as a means of closing an electric circuit through said balls oneat a time, the combination of a runway for balls comprising a verticalsection, an upper inclined section, a lower inclined section, anescapement between said upperand lower sections, said escapementineluding a slide, a pivoted lever and a cam for operating said lever,balls in said runway to form a row in said lower section and a column ofballs to the top of said vertical section, means to support said columnof balls, coin controlled electric means to raise one ball at a timefrom said row into the lower part of said column to discharge only oneball at a time from the top of said column into the upper inclinedsection from which it falls into the slide of said escapement, means insaid slide to contact with said discharged ball and complete an electriccircuit and means to opcrate said slide and means to release said ballinto said lower section and open said circuit.

5. In a prepayment meter, a runway for balls comprising a verticalsection, an upper inclined section, a lower inclined section, a columnof balls in said vertical section extending to the top thereof, means tosupport said column of balls consisting of a movable stop on one sideand an opposing projecting point on the opposite side, a spring and anopposing point over the top of said column of balls, coin controlledelectric means for raising a ball from the lower section into the lowerpart of the column and discharge the top ball into the upper section, aslide to re ceive the discharged ball from said upper section and returnit into said lower section, means in said slide to hold said ball andcomplete an electric circuit therethrough, means to operate said slideand means to release said ball and break said circuit upon the operationof said slide.

6. A prepayment meter having upper and lower inclined runways and aconnecting ver tical runway, balls forming a column to the top of saidvertical runway, means to support said column of balls, a plunger toraise a ball from said lower runway into the bottom of the column anddischarge the top ball into the upper runway, coin controlled electricmeans to operate said plunger, means to vary the travel of said plunger,movable means having electric conductors to hold said discharged ball toclose an electric circuit and operate an instrument, means to move saidmovable means andmeans to release said ball and break said circuit tostop the operation of said instrument and drop said ball into said lowerrunway.

In testimony whereof, I aliiX my signature.

SIEGFRIED J. SCHIVEGLER.

